Combined cutting-removing and well-deepening tool



Feb. 2, 1965 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 J. M. REYNOLDS 3,168,152

COMBINED CUTTING-REMOVING AND WELL-DEEPENING TOOL.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 2, 1965 J. M. REYNOLDS COMBINED CUTTING-REMOVING AND WELL-DEEPENING TOOL Filed Aug. 22, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ma/7 M /sy/M/ar INVENTOR.

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,um i ,N11 y United States Patent Oiice 3,168,152 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 aisaisz COMBINED CUTTING-REMOVING AND VVEiLL-DEEPENING T001. John M. Reynolds, 804 Erie St., Shreveport, La. Filed Aug. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 51,2i9 2 Claims. (Cl. 17E- 234) This invention relates to the drilling of wells and more particularly to drilling operations in which it is desired to deepen a well or to enlarge the same at a particular location.

The invention is capable of use for a variety of purposes in the drillling, completion, extension and re-working ot wells and finds particular utility in connection with welis which are closed or plugged with cement at some particular location and in which it is desired to reopen or deepen the well to a lower level.

In the drilling and operation of wells, such as oil and gas wells, the well bore is often closed or plugged at some particular location and a well tubing of smaller diameter than the bore of the well is introduced to obtain fluid from a desired formation. When it is desired to operate a well which has been completed in this manner, it then becomes necessary to remove the tubing string and drill away the cement in order to deepen or recondition the well to the desired depth, after which the tubing string is again inserted to recover the fluid from the new location. There are numerous circumstances in well producing operations under which great savings of time and labor could be accomplished if it were possible to carry out deepening or enlarging operations without rst removing the tubing string or otherwise altering the existing well equipment, but heretofore, no satisfactory method has been available whereby such operations could be undertaken by introducing well drilling tools through the tubing.

The present invention has for an important object the provision of well drilling equipment of the percussion or cable operated type which may be introduced into a well through the well tubing, and which m-ay be operated to deepen and enlarge the well bore downwardly beyond the lower end of the tubing.

Another object of the invention is to provide well drilling apparatus of the cable tool type having means for removing and collecting the cuttings or detritus as the same are formed during the drilling operation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of well drilling equipment of the percussion type which may be introduced into a well through a well pipe or tubing of substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of the well bore and which may then be operated to deepen the bore at the same or a larger diameter.

Another object of the invention is to provide well drilling apparatus of the kind referred to having a tubular body designed to receive and retain cuttings, as the same are produced and having cutter blades which are expansible to produce a bore of larger diameter than the body of the tool, bst which are retractable to allow the equipment to be inserted and withdrawn through a well tubing of substantially smaller diameter than the weil bore.

A further object of the invention is the provision of well drilling apparatus of the type referred to which is of strong and rugged construction, capable of withstanding the extreme conditions of hard usage to which equipment of this charauter is customarily subjected and which is easily operated.

The above and other important objects and advantages of the invention may best be understood from the following detailed description, constituting a speciiication of the same when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, wherein- FIGURE lA is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in cross-section, showing the upper portion of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 1B is a view similar to that of FIGURE 1A showing the lower portion of the tool of the invention and a port-ion of the surrounding well structure in which the tool is positioned, FIGURE 1B being a downward continuation of FIGURE 1A and showing the tool in operating condition;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the portion of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 1B, show-ing the same rotated 90 degrees from the position shown in FIGURE 1B;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 4 4 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 5 5 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the invention is illustrated herein in connection with its use in the deepening and enlarging or underreaming of the bore B of a well of usual construction in which a well casing C has been cemented, and into which a well tubing T extends. In the present illustration the bore B has been cemented of, as seen at S below the lower end of the tubing T, and it is now desired to deepen the well by drilling away the cement to form a continuation of the bore at a diameter larger than that of the tubing. It is for the purpose of permitting the drilling away of the cement below the lower end of the tubing at a larger diameter than that of the tubing without the necessity of removing the tubing or otherwise disturbing the existing well equipment, that the present invention has been developed.

The tool of the invention includes a tubular barrel 10 into whose upper end a ishing head 12 is threadably inserted, and whose lower end is threadably connected to a tubular connector element 14. The fishing head 12 has a central, longitudinal bore 1 6 therethrough, Whose lower end portion is enlarged to form a downwardly opening inwardly tapered recess 1S, opening into the interior of the barrel ld, and the shing head may be provided with the usual external teeth 20 at its upper end, with which a suitable fishing tool may be engaged to remove the drilling tool from a well bore, should this become necessary.

The tubular connector i4 has an externaily reduced upper end portion 22, forming an upwardly facing, external, annular shoulder 24, and to provide a downwardly facing, external, annular shoulder 26 formed by the lower end of the barrel 10, between which shoulders a sleeve 28 is movably positioned for rotational movement in surround ing relation to the connector. The sleeve 28 is provided with an opening 36', positioned to be moved into and out of registration with an opening 32 in the connector, and through which openings the barrel may be emptied, when desired.

The connector 14 is also formed with an interiorly reduced portion 3d, providing an internal annular Valve seat 35, and above the valve seat an upwardly opening valve 38 is pivotally mounted as by means of a pin 39, for swinging movement into and out of closing contact i with the seat 36.

' a La end, the bore .of the cage 49 is formed with an inwardly tapering internally enlarged portion 44 for a purpose to be fully explained hereinafter, and the cage is also provided with lateralopenings 46 mediateits ends, through which fluid may flow.

Within the lower end of the cage 40, a pair of oppositely movable cutter elements 48, 4S are pivotally mounted for lateral swinging movement about a pin 50, which cutter elements are formed at their upper ends with sloping, upwardly facing end faces 52. The lower end portions of the cutter elements are laterally widened, as shown at 54, to provide downwardly directedl cutting portions, of a` length n'ot greater thanthe external diameter of the lower end portionof the cage 40, andthe cutter elements are provided with rounded externalsurfaces 58,

above the widened portion 54, positioned to engage the lower end of the well tubing T upon upward movement of the tool from the position shown in FIGURE 1B, to retract the cutter elements radially inwardly to allow the cutter elements to be drawn into the well tubing. The cutter elements are positioned in side-by-side relation as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 5, so that the elements maymove radiallyrelative to each other in opposite directions into and out of extended or retracted positions. The shank portions 60 of the cutter elements are shaped for engagein the lower end of the cage 40, to limit lateral move'- ment of the elements in a direction to expand the elements.

A longitudinally movable, cutter actuator element 62 is positioned in the cage 40, whose lower end is engageable with the sloping end faces 52 of the cutter elements, to

urge the cutter elements ylaterally outwardly toward their expanded positions upon downward movement of the actuator member in the cage, and a coil spring 64 is positioned in the cage, seated at its upper end on the spring seat 42 and at its lower end Vvon the upper end of the actuator member to yieldingly urge the spool-like member downwardly in the cage. The actuator member 62 is shaped to permit the flow of lluid through the openings 46 of the cage and through the interior of the cage and the connector 14.

Within the barrel 10, a vertically movable plunger 66 is located, which may be provided with one or more external annular seal-forming elements 68 to form a piston in the barrel. The plunger 66 is provided with a bore 70, opening downwardly into the barrel at the lower end of the plunger and which opens at its upper end into an internal cavity 72 within which a valve seat 74 is formed and from which openings 76 lead into the interior of the barrel. movably positioned for vertical movement into and out of contact with the seat 74. At its upper end the plunger 66 is formed with an upwardly tapering portion 80, which is shaped to enter the inwardly tapering lower end recess 18 of the ishing head 12 upon upward movement of the plunger in the barrel. The tapered portion 80 is preferably of somewhat smaller radial dimensions than those of the recess 18 so that Huid in the recess may coact with the fishing head and plunger to cushion the movement of the plunger when the plunger has nearly reached the usual limit of its movement in the barrel. The plunger has an upwardly extending rod 82 extending upwardly from the taperedV portion 80 through the passageway 16 of the shing head whenthe plunger is in its upmost position in the barrel, and which is connected at its upper endto a cable or wire line 84, whereby the plunger may be lifted in the barrel. The rod 82 is preferably' of somewhat smaller diameter than Vthe diameter of the passageway 16, to allow fluid to ow upwardly through the fishing head during upward travel of the plunger in the barrel.

In making use of the drilling tool, constructed as de'- scribed above, the tool will be inserted in the tubing T and lowered into the well on the wire line 84, the cutter elements 48 being then in their retracted positions and the plunger 66 being in its upmostY position'during the lower- Suitable valve means, such as the ball valve 7S is v ment with the inwardly tapering internal surface 44 witning of the tool. It will be understood that the casing C will ordinarily be packed, asby means of a conventional packer P, suitably located between the internal wall of the casing and the external surface of the tubing T, and when the tool has been lowered in the well until the cage 40 extends downwardly below the lower end of the tubing T, the cutter elements 48 will be moved laterally to their extended positions, as shown in FIGURE 1B under the iniluence of the spring 64, 'urging the actuator member 62 downwardly in the cage. With the tool thus inserted in the well, the tool may be further lowered to cause the lower ends of the cutter elements to be engaged with the Icement or other material in the well which is to be drilled away.

By then repeatedly lifting and dropping the tool in the welly by manipulation of the wire line 84, the cutter elel ments maybe caused to drill away the cement byimpact to extend the bore of the well downwardly at a diameter l somewhat larger than the diameter of the tubing T. 20k

During the drilling operation, the plunger 66 may be allowed to move downwardly in the 'barrel with the cutter elements resting on the bottom of the bore, the tluid in the barrel beneath the plunger flowing upwardly through the bore 70, cavity 72 and outwardlythrough openings 76 back into the barrel above the plunger during such downward movement of .the plunger. When the plunger has thus moved downwardly in the barrel, an upward pull exerted on the wire line 84 will cause the plunger to return upwardly in the barrel, and due to the fact that the valve 78 is closed, such upward movement of the plunger will cause iuid to be drawn into the barrel through the cage 40 through the openings 46 thereof and upwardly to open the valve 38 to allow the fluidy and cuttings entrained therein to be drawn into the barrel. Moreover, as the plunger moves upwardly in the barrel, fluid in the barrel above the plunger may flow upwardly out of the barrel through the passageway 16` of the iishing head until the plunger reaches the limit of its upward movement in the barrel.

By thus repeatedly raising and dropping the tool, the bore of the well below the casing C may be `extended downwardly, while at the same time removing cuttings from the bore into the 'interior of the barrel wherein the cuttings will be retained, while fluid from the barrel may escape upwardly through the passageway 16, to return downwardly aboutfthe exterior of the barrel` through the tubing T into the .casing below.

When the barrel has been thus substantially filled with cuttings, the tool may be withdrawn from the well and emptied by rotating the sleeve 28 to register the opening 30 thereof with the opening 32 of the connector 14.

Upon4 removal of the tool from the well, the curved i surfaces 58 of the cutter elements will be engaged with the lower end ofthe tubing T to move the cutter elements to retracted positions to allow the cutter elements to move upwardly with the tool through the tubing.

It will thus be seen that the invention, constructed and operated in the manner described above, provides a well drillingtool of the impact type which may be easily inserted into a well through a well tubing of substantially smaller diameter than the bore of the well and by the use of which the bore of the well may be continued downwardly with a diameter substantially larger than the diameter of the well tubing. The tool of the invention also possesses the advantage that the cuttings may be rapidly removed as they are formed,'so that the cuttings cannot accumulate at a location to interfere with the drilling of the bore.

The invention is disclosed herein in connection with a certain speciiic embodiment of the same, but it will be understood that this is intended by way of illustration only, and that various changes can be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Havingtthus clearly shown' and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a combined cutting-removing and well deepening tool of the impact type a tubular body, cutter elements pivotally mounted on and extending below the lower end of the body in position for lateral swinging beyond the into and out of positions extending laterally beyond the body, yieldable means positioned for coaction with the body and cutter elements to urge the cutter elements toward said extended positions, said body having an inlet located above said cutter elements and an outlet above said inlet, a tubular plunger movable vertically in the body between the inlet and outlet, means for connectinf the plunger to a cable for lifting and lowering the plunger, means in the body positioned for engagement with the plunger when the plunger is in its uppermost position in the body to cause the body to move upwardly with the plunger, said plunger being movable downwardly in the body when downward movement of the body is arrested, means for closing the plunger against downward flow of iluid therethrough during upward movement of the plunger in the body and for allowing upward ow of fluid therethrough during downward movement of the plunger in the body, and means in the body located between the inlet and outlet for preventing the downlow of uid in the body during downward movement of the plunger and for permitting upow of fluid therein during upward movement of the plunger in the body.

2. In a combined cutting-removing and well deepening tool of the impact type a tubular body, cutter elements pivotally mounted on and extending below the lower end of the body in position for lateral swinging movement into and out of positions extending laterally beyond the body, yieldable means positioned for coaction with the body and cutter elements to urge the cutter elments toward said extended positions, said body having an inlet located above said elements and an outlet above said inlet, a tubular plunger movable vertically in the body between the inlet and outlet, means for connecting the plunger to a cable for lifting and lowering the plunger, means in the body positioned for engagement with the plunger when the plunger is in its uppermost position in the body to cause the body to move upwardly with the plunger, said plunger being movable downwardly in the body when downward movement of the body is arrested, means for closing the plunger against downward oW of fluid therethrough during upward movement or" the plunger in the body and for allowing upward ow of uid therethrough during downward movement of the plunger in the body, means in the body located between said inlet and said outlet for preventing the downow of Huid in the body during downward movement of the plunger and for permitting upflow of fluid therein during upward movement of the plunger in the body and means for restricting the outflow of fluid through said outlet to resist upward movement of the plunger in the body when the plunger approaches the limit of its upward movement in the body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 58,479 10/66 Rhoades 175-234 135,718 2/73 Large 175--234 695,745 3/02 Livermore 175-414 X 985,276 2/11 Neiman 175-384 X 1,017,743 2/12 Fitzgerald 175-414 X 1,022,129 4/12 Evans et al. 175-384 X 1,149,512 8/15 Haugh 175-414 X 1,450,053 3/23 Stckney 175-414 X 1,643,730 9/27 `Wild 175-384 X 1,686,403 10/28 Boynton 175-384 X 1,740,829 12/29 Nichols 175-414 X 2,646,128 7/53 Reynolds 166-107 X 2,785,756 3/57 Reynolds 166--107 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

BENJAMIN BENDETT, Examiner. 

1. IN A COMBINED CUTTING-REMOVING AND WELL DEEPENING TOOL OF THE IMPACT TYPE A TUBULAR BODY, CUTTER ELEMENTS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON AND EXTENDING BELOW THE LOWER END OF THE BODY IN POSITION FOR LATERAL SWINGING BEYOND THE INTO AND OUT OF POSITIONS EXTENDING LATERALLY BEYOND THE BODY, YIELDABLE MEANS POSITIONED FOR COACTION WITH THE BODY AND CUTTER ELEMENTS TO URGE THE CUTTER ELEMENTS TOWARD SAID EXTENDED POSITIONS, SAID BODY HAVING AN INLET LOCATED ABOVE SAID CUTTER ELEMENTS AND AN OUTLET ABOVE SAID INLET, A TUBULAR PLUNGER MOVABLE VERTICALLY IN THE BODY BETWEEN THE INLET AND OUTLET, MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE PLUNER TO A CABLE FOR LIFTING AND LOWERING THE PLUNGER, MEANS IN THE BODY POSITIONED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PLUNGER WHEN THE PLUNGER IS IN ITS UPPERMOST POSITION IN THE BODY TO CAUSE THE BODY TO MOVE UPWARDLY WITH THE PLUNGER, SAID PLUNGER BEING MOVABLE DOWN WARDLY IN THE BODY WHEN DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE BODY IS ARRESTED, MEANS FOR CLOSING THE PLUNGER AGAINST DOWNWARD FLOW OF FLUID THERETHROUGH DURING UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER IN THE BODY AND FOR ALLOWING UPWARD FLOW OF FLUID THERETHROUGH DURING DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER IN THE BODY, AND MEANS IN THE BODY LOCATED BETWEEN THE INLET AND OUTLET FOR PREVENTING THE DOWNFLOW OF FLUID IN THE BODY DURING DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER AND FOR PERMITTING UPFLOW OF FLUID THEREIN DURING UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER IN THE BODY. 